DegreeVerdict
ROI Calculator
Home›Majors›Legal Support Services
UNDERGRADUATE CERTIFICATE OR DIPLOMA · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES

Is a undergraduate certificate or diploma in Legal Support Services worth it?

Compare cost, debt and earnings across 54 college programs with reportable data.

Personal baseline needed

$55,899 in median year-4 earnings

A credible return for this credential must start with what the student would otherwise earn. The federal data does not provide that personal baseline.

$55,899Median year-4 earnings
$14,279Average institution net-price context
$20,834Median federal debt
Use your actual price and alternative earnings before evaluating return. Model your own starting point →
Start with your decision

What do you need to compare?

WHAT THIS DEGREE PAYS

Outcomes at a glance

$55,899Typical earnings four years after completion
$55,931Average earnings five years after completion
$20,834Typical federal student debt
60thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
1,491Degrees awarded in 2024–25
42College programs reporting earnings

Degree counts come from the IPEDS Fall 2025 provisional release and cover 48 matched college records. Colleges without a match are not estimated.

A PRACTICAL READ

Four useful answers about Legal Support Services

How much do Legal Support Services undergraduate certificate or diploma graduates earn?

The national median is $55,899 four years after completion across reportable undergraduate certificate or diploma programs in this federal field.

How much federal debt do graduates have?

The median reported federal debt is $20,834. The figure excludes private loans and does not describe every graduate.

Does the college matter for Legal Support Services?

Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $42,509 to $59,168 in observed year-4 earnings.

What careers are related to Legal Support Services?

DegreeVerdict links this field to 7 displayed occupations using the official federal CIP–SOC crosswalk. Occupational wages are career context, not graduate salary promises.

COMPARE DEGREE LEVELS

More schooling changes both the cost and the outcome.

Compare the same field at each degree level with reportable data. These are separate groups of graduates, so the differences do not prove that an additional degree caused higher earnings.

CURRENT VIEW

Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma

Year-4 earnings
$55,899
Federal debt
$20,834
Programs in the comparison
54
42 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Associate's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$45,714
Federal debt
$22,285
Programs in the comparison
121
112 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Bachelor's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$52,444
Federal debt
$27,750
Programs in the comparison
35
32 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Post-baccalaureate Certificate

Year-4 earnings
$48,802
Federal debt
$24,621
Programs in the comparison
5
4 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Master's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$70,692
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
3
3 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Graduate/Professional Certificate

Year-4 earnings
$76,951
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
2
2 report earnings →
COLLEGE-TO-COLLEGE RANGE

Where the middle half of programs lands

Year‑4 earnings differ by college. This band shows the 25th percentile, national median and 75th percentile among reporting programs.

Median
25th percentile$42,509National median$55,89975th percentile$59,168
42 programs report year‑4 earnings.
BEFORE YOU CHOOSE

Compare price, debt and earnings together

$59,16875th-percentile year-4 earnings among reporting programs
$20,834Median federal debt across programs that report it
1Programs with earnings in the top quarter and debt at or below the median
SHORTLIST BY QUESTION

Three useful places to start

Each choice answers a different question. These are observed signals, not an overall winner.

Highest observed earnings

San Francisco State University

$92,546 four years after completionSan Francisco, CA · inspect the full program →Lowest reported federal debt

Lone Star College System

$17,251 among completer borrowersThe Woodlands, TX · inspect the full program →Largest recent graduating class

Fresno City College

85 reported awards in 2024–25Fresno, CA · inspect the full program →
PRICE × EARNINGS MAP

Where colleges sit for this exact degree

Move left for a lower annual college-wide net price and up for higher observed year-4 earnings.

$76,742Observed year-4 earnings$45,805
$3,861Annual college-wide average net price$34,176
All reporting colleges Lower-price, higher-earnings quadrantAxes trim the outer 5% for readability; outliers remain pinned to the chart edge. Price is institution-wide context, not exact program tuition.
Build your shortlist

Choose colleges offering this exact degree

Start with the highest-earning reported programs below, or open the full directory to search every college.

30 shortlist matchesSelect up to four · 25 shown
Search every reporting program →
WHERE OUTCOMES ARE STRONGEST

See the spread, not just the national number.

1San Francisco State University$92,5462Marist University$80,8443Cerritos College$76,7424Edmonds College$68,7195North Hennepin Community College$65,2226Loyola University Chicago$63,1357Hillsborough College$62,3908William Rainey Harper College$62,0819Inver Hills Community College$61,53810Hamline University$61,388

Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking

Career outlook

Jobs this degree may lead to

Federal education-to-career links identify related occupations. They do not imply that every graduate enters the same job.

Pay and projected demand

Related careers do not share one outlook

Bubble size = annual openings2025–35 national projection

Occupation wages describe workers in these jobs, not graduates of this degree. BLS projections are national estimates and do not guarantee hiring.

Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners$72,420 median wage12,870 jobs nationwide-0.1% projected growth through 2035 · 1,800 openings a yearTypical entry education: Postsecondary nondegree award$42,130–$130,560 typical wage rangeLegal Support Workers, All Other$72,110 median wage46,760 jobs nationwide-0.3% projected growth through 2035 · 4,700 openings a yearTypical entry education: Associate's degree$43,800–$179,960 typical wage rangeParalegals and Legal Assistants$62,890 median wage392,880 jobs nationwide-0.3% projected growth through 2035 · 40,800 openings a yearTypical entry education: Associate's degree$44,740–$101,500 typical wage rangeInterpreters and Translators$60,170 median wage52,060 jobs nationwide+2.0% projected growth through 2035 · 6,000 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$37,070–$103,660 typical wage rangeTitle Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers$58,650 median wage48,580 jobs nationwide+2.1% projected growth through 2035 · 5,300 openings a yearTypical entry education: High school diploma or equivalent$38,170–$90,830 typical wage rangeLegal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants$55,570 median wage156,280 jobs nationwide-5.2% projected growth through 2035 · 18,100 openings a yearTypical entry education: High school diploma or equivalent$36,500–$91,730 typical wage rangeNO MATCHUnreported jobs nationwide

BLS May 2025 wages and 2025–35 projections. Career figures describe occupations, not graduates of a specific college.

This page keeps the field and credential level fixed. Federal categories can still combine multiple catalog programs or concentrations. Automated ROI is limited to associate and bachelor’s degrees because institution-wide annual net price is not a reliable proxy for short certificate prices. ROI is an illustrative scenario, not a federal determination.